Billing code 41010: Tongue-tie releaseMedicare rate & RVUs
Reports surgical division of a restrictive lingual frenulum, commonly for an infant whose limited tongue movement interferes with latch or feeding.
Medicare pays $210.76 for 41010 nationally in the office and $102.54 in a hospital or facility. Local office rates run $184.29–$287.10.
Medicare rate · 41010
Tongue-tie release
- Work RVUs
- 1.08
- Total RVUs
- 6.31
- Global days
- 010
National rate · 2026
$210.76
Office setting, before claim adjustments.
See every locality for 41010 →Billed by an NP, PA or therapist? →
Medicare allowed amount for participating (non-QP) physicians, before deductible, coinsurance and claim adjustments. Not a patient’s bill or a hospital charge.
On this page 10 sections
What 41010 covers
This procedure releases the tissue band beneath the tongue by incision to improve tongue mobility. A pediatrician, otolaryngologist, oral surgeon, or other qualified clinician may perform it, often in an office or outpatient setting. A common clinical situation is an infant with a restrictive lingual frenulum and difficulty latching during breastfeeding.
Select this code when the service is an incision-based release, rather than excision of the frenulum or a more involved frenoplasty. The record should identify the restriction and its functional effect, the site treated, and the release performed. CMS assigns a 10-day minor-procedure global period, so related postoperative visits during that period are included. When multiple procedures are performed in the same session, the highest-valued procedure is paid in full and the others are subject to the standard 50% multiple-procedure reduction. Assistant-at-surgery payment requires documented medical necessity.
This summary was written with AI assistance from CMS physician fee schedule data and checked against the CMS billing rules shown here. Rates on this page come directly from CMS files.
Where 41010 pays more and less
The same RVUs, adjusted for each area’s costs. Open a locality for its calculation, history and nearby areas.
109 payment localities
$184.29 to $287.10
109 of 109 payment localities
41010 rates by state
Office rate range in each state. Select a state to see its payment localities.
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Local rates. Clear comparisons.
Hover or focus a tile to see its rate range. Select it to open the state’s fee schedule.
$184.29
$256.13
Color shows the midpoint of each state’s locality range.
View every state and territory as a table
| State / territory | Office rate range | Localities |
|---|---|---|
| AK | $237.40 | 1 |
| AL | $187.27 | 1 |
| AR | $184.29 | 1 |
| AZ | $204.74 | 1 |
| CA | $225.15–$287.10 | 29 |
| CO | $220.86 | 1 |
| CT | $225.64 | 1 |
| DC | $243.45 | 1 |
| DE | $208.37 | 1 |
| FL | $206.00–$225.87 | 3 |
| GA | $193.50–$214.65 | 2 |
| GU | $231.71 | 1 |
| HI | $231.71 | 1 |
| IA | $193.14 | 1 |
| ID | $194.40 | 1 |
| IL | $199.04–$219.71 | 4 |
| IN | $195.65 | 1 |
| KS | $191.85 | 1 |
| KY | $191.51 | 1 |
| LA | $191.06–$201.50 | 2 |
| MA | $219.23–$244.50 | 2 |
| MD | $212.71–$243.45 | 3 |
| ME | $195.19–$207.26 | 2 |
| MI | $196.72–$208.50 | 2 |
| MN | $211.91 | 1 |
| MO | $187.25–$202.64 | 3 |
| MS | $185.83 | 1 |
| MT | $210.75 | 1 |
| NC | $197.48 | 1 |
| ND | $207.59 | 1 |
| NE | $194.40 | 1 |
| NH | $217.03 | 1 |
| NJ | $228.30–$240.49 | 2 |
| NM | $197.78 | 1 |
| NV | $210.04 | 1 |
| NY | $200.71–$249.65 | 5 |
| OH | $196.07 | 1 |
| OK | $191.45 | 1 |
| OR | $208.50–$228.77 | 2 |
| PA | $196.58–$219.38 | 2 |
| PR | $212.54 | 1 |
| RI | $216.46 | 1 |
| SC | $197.09 | 1 |
| SD | $207.21 | 1 |
| TN | $192.88 | 1 |
| TX | $195.14–$220.04 | 8 |
| UT | $200.05 | 1 |
| VA | $206.31–$243.45 | 2 |
| VI | $212.54 | 1 |
| VT | $206.43 | 1 |
| WA | $218.93–$250.03 | 2 |
| WI | $199.95 | 1 |
| WV | $190.88 | 1 |
| WY | $209.37 | 1 |
How the 41010 rate is calculated
Each of 41010’s three RVUs is multiplied by a geographic index (GPCI) for the payment locality, added up, and multiplied by the conversion factor. Drag the indexes or enter a ZIP to see what moves the rate.
How the rate is built · 41010
RVUs × geographic indexes × conversion factor
Work1.08
1.08 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI
Practice expense5.07
5.07 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI
Malpractice0.16
0.16 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI
Adjusted RVUs
6.3100
Conversion factor
$33.4009
Medicare rate
$210.76
Every GPCI starts at 1.000, the national rate. Enter a ZIP or drag a slider.
Payment rules and modifiers for 41010
41010 has a 10-day global period: related visits in that window are included in the surgery payment.
CMS payment indicators · 41010
Tongue-tie release
| Rule | CMS value | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| Global period | 010 | Minor procedure: the day of the procedure plus 10 days after are included. |
| Multiple procedures | 2 | Standard reduction: highest-valued procedure at 100%, others at 50%. |
| Bilateral (modifier 50) | 0 | The 150% bilateral adjustment doesn’t apply. |
| Assistant at surgery (80/81/82/AS) | 0 | Not paid without supporting documentation. |
| Co-surgeons (62) | 0 | Not permitted. |
| Team surgery (66) | 0 | Not permitted. |
| Professional/technical | 0 | Physician service: no professional/technical split. |
| Split (54/55/56) | 0.10/0.80/0.10 | Share of the payment for pre-op, the procedure itself, and post-op care. |
Global surgery period · 41010
Tongue-tie release
10-day global period ends
Oct 11, 2026
Covers Oct 1, 2026 through Oct 11, 2026 (11 days).
Visit on Oct 31, 2026
After the global period ends: visits and procedures are billed normally.
What modifiers do to the payment
Modifier 51 · payment effect
With and without the modifier
41010 without 51 · national office
$210.76
Tongue-tie release
41010-51 · Second procedure: 50%
$105.38
When this isn’t the highest-valued procedure in the session, Medicare pays 50% of its fee schedule amount (the highest is paid at 100%).
41010 compared with similar codes
Compare codes · National
4 codes, side by side
How to choose
- 41115Tongue-tie surgery
- Use this code for incision-based division of the lingual frenulum. The other code describes excision of that tissue.
- 41520Frenuloplasty
- This code covers a straightforward incision-based lingual release; the other describes frenoplasty, a surgical revision of the frenum.
- 40806Lip frenum release
- Both describe incision-based frenulum release, but this code concerns the lingual frenulum beneath the tongue; the other concerns a labial frenulum.
41010 billing questions
How does this differ from excision of the lingual frenulum?
This code describes an incision-based release. Use the excision code when the frenulum is surgically removed rather than simply divided.
When is a frenoplasty code a better fit?
A frenoplasty describes a surgical revision of the frenum, such as a more involved reshaping. This code is for incision-based release of the lingual frenulum.
Are related postoperative visits separately reported?
Related postoperative visits during the 10-day global period are included in the procedure.
Can modifier 50 be used for release on both sides?
No. The CMS bilateral adjustment does not apply, and modifier 50 is inappropriate for this code.
When can an assistant-at-surgery service be paid?
CMS allows assistant-at-surgery payment only when the record documents medical necessity.
How are other procedures in the same session paid?
The highest-valued procedure is paid in full; other procedures in that session are subject to the standard multiple-procedure reduction.
Where these rates come from
FeeBase calculates base physician payments from CMS work, practice-expense and malpractice RVUs, adjusted by each locality’s geographic indexes and the conversion factor. Services without a published rate are labeled, never given a made-up amount. Amounts are Medicare allowed amounts before claim adjustments: not a patient’s bill or a commercial rate.
CMS RVU26D · effective Oct 1, 2026 through the day before Jan 1, 2027
Show the CMS file lines behind this rate
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